Applicator



March 4; 1947.

A. M. MAZZARELLI 2,416,705

APPLICATOR Filed Jan. 17, 1942 38 FIG. 2 3

46 A 48 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY uqus Tl/YEM. MAZZARELL/ Patented Mar. 4, 1947 S PATENT OFFICE APPLICATOR Augustine M. Ma'zzarelli, New York, N. Y., assignor to Henry L. Burkitt. New York, N. Y.

Application January 17,1942, Serial No. 427,106

This invention relates to applicators.

The smooth surface of a body molded from.

plastic material such as cellulose acetate and the like has been found to possess the property of shedding fluids. Thus, the use of such substances for defining applicator faces for use in connection with substances such as mucilage and glue, produces the results, when applying mucilage or similar material to a surface, that the applicator face is wiped substantially clean by the mucilageapplying operation. If mucilage, glue or similar substance should dry upon a face formed from such material, the face may be cleaned readily. For instance, such material, when it dries, will separate from the surface almost of itself, and flake or chip off. The necessary mucilage, glue or s milar material must be fed to such an applicator face so that the contents of the bottle or similar source of supply will not be so open to the air as to dry out rapidly.

It is an object of the invention to provide an applicator, for use with a bottle or similar reservoir of mucilage or similar material, wherein the face of the applicator is defined by a surface molded from a plastic such as cellulose acetate or similar material, and wherein provision is made, by means of a dispensing device, to feed mucilage or similar substance positively tothe applicator face when the applicator is positioned in spreading position. I

It is an object of the invention to provide a applicator head for a container, wherein such head is made substantially of molded plastic material, and has means for ejecting a charge of mucilage or similar material positively when a face of such head is broughtinto spreading position relative to a surface.

It is an object of the invention to provide positive means for ejecting mucilage froma bottle or similar container, in which the construction of the ejecting means is such that charges of mucilage may not be retained, as, for instance, by pockets, and so that necessarily all excess mucilage not ejected by the means returns into the body of the bottle, to a position where it may not affect the further operation of the ejecting means.

Other objects of this invention will be set forth invention.

The invention, however, is not intended to be restricted toanyparticular construction, or to any particular arrangement of parts, or to any Claims. (01. -139) voir for mucilage l2 or similar material.

particular application of any such construction or any such arrangement of parts, or to any specific method of operation, or to any of the various details thereof, even where specifically shown and described herein, as the same may be modified in various particulars, or may be applied in many varied relations, without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, practical constructions embodying certain details of the invention being illustrated and described, but only for the purpose of complying with the requirements of the statutes for disclosure of operative embodiments, and without attempting to disclose all of the various forms and modifications in which the invention might be embodied.

On the drawings, in which the same reference characters refer to the same parts throughout,

and in which are disclosed such practical constructions:

Fig. 1 is an elevational viewof a container with an applicator head applied thereon, the applicator head embodying features of the invention, a portion of the container being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a view substantially in cross-section on the line 22 of Fig. 1, a part of -the container being shown in elevation;

. Fig. 3' is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 2;

Fig, 4 is a perspective view of the part of the applicator head shown in Fig. 2; and f Fig. 5 is a view .in cross-section, along a plane similar to Fig. 2 of, an applicator head of modified construction.

The bottle"! illustrated on the drawings may be of any desired construction to provide a re sli alre bottle may have a neck l4, on.which .an applicator head It may be engaged by means such as threads l8 in the open end 20 of the head and on the neck- Bottle l0 and head I6 may be of any desired material; however, it has been found desirable to make head l6 by molding it from plastic material such as cellulose acetate or. the like. Such molding operation may include the formation of means such as threads la in .open

end 20.. v

Head [6 is constructed to provide a hollow section 22, on'the outer walls 24 of which an applicator face 26 and an end face 28 may be defined. An opening 30 may extend from end face 28 into hollow section 22, and-adjacent side wall 32. The

engaging head 34 of a plug 35 may extend through opening 30, and, when the plug projects as shown inFig. 2,.and head I6 is brought into proximity to a surface, the plug will be engaged against that surface. When plug 36 is fully extended as shown in Fig. 2, end face 38 of head 34 is positioned between'the planes of face 26 and face 28, as shown by the dot-and-dash line in Fig 2. Therefore, when face 26 is in face-to-face contact with a surface, end face 38 will not be engaged by that surface, and plug 36 will not be displaced. .Howevenwhen head [-6 is turned along the line 40 of junction between faces 26 and28 to move face 26 out of face-to-face contact with the surface, end face 38 will move into engagement with the surface upon which line 40 rests,

- and plug 36 will be compelledto move to.a,position within section 22.

Plug 36 consists of a slab of molded plastic material having a fiat face 2142 'which :Tforms .a boundary wall for the plug, and extendscallthe Way from end face 38=-of head 34 along'theenlarged body 44 of the'plug down to recess 46 at the bottom 48 of the 'plug. "'Body M is positioned entirely within hollow section 22. At the junction between body 44 andhea'd34, theplug is reduced toform a ledge 50. Opening 30 is of 'such'form and dimensions that it conforms closely to those ofbody44 just immediately below ledge 50, and thus isjjust too small to "permit-theplug,'once'it 'is in the position shown iri Fig.3, to movethrough opening '30 and out of hollow section 22.

In hollow'section 22, and'on wal132, a'ledge 52 isprovided directly below and inline with o ening 30. A pin 54 extends upwardly from thatledge, and is positioned'in line with "and toenterirecess 4B. In "fact, recess 46 is shaped to conformclosely to theshaoe of pin54; and thus pin and recess, when engaged, serve'toguide the 'p ug'in its reciprocating movement in opening 30. Byreasoniof the'engagement'offace 56'of recess '46 with 'face 58 of pin '54, no movement of plug 36 away from engagement of face dz with engagement with theedges of opening '3ll,'*while movement in the other-"direction is prevented by en ageme t. of .wall 62 of the plug between-wall 32 and pin I A soringt l may be seated'on -ledge52ito :en circle init and extend up intoenga'gement' with pl g 35.' The plug m avbeformedwitha de- .pe "ding portion .or skirt 66 toformfa retainin-g wall to retain the springin"positionjthe"spring otherwise engaging against bottom'face 68 ofthe plug. The p ug is propelled by'the spring through opening afi to b ing ledge!!! into'engagement with :the inner face loatopening. 3'0. Onengagemerit of end face .38 witha surfaceltowhich'the"mucila e. is to-be appliedjthemlug is caused to move .into sec ion '22 so that'ledgefinwill be displaced from engagement against face 110, *andso that fl id .will be dis laced from .within.the"hollow .section and will .flow past the 'openingprovided' by the separation of ledge from "facefiiljand out l'pon the surface to be coated. Then, :by rockiu the bottle online 40' asjafulcrumlface 26 may .be brought i to position to spreadithe material. In. assemb ing"olug'36 with head I 6, spring 64' i first po itioned on ledge "ea-we encirclepin 54.

Then bot om 48 of the plug is inserted through o ening 30. The wedge face'TZ oftheplugthen will engage against edge 14 of -opening 30 and,

as the-plug is forced'further into opening 30 face 72 will function to cam edge 14 slightly inwardly as ledge 50 approaches end face 28. Finally, ledge 58 will pass edge 14, permitting the'material of the molded head at edge 14 to spring back into position, Then pin 54 and recess 46 will function to retain the plug snugly seated against face 60 so that the plug will be capable of reciprocation easily, without danger of separation of the plug .from the head. V

In Fig. .5, a'xmo'dified construction is: shown. In this case, a short pin 76 is formed on ledge 18. End 89 of plug 82 is formed substantially fiat, with a flange 84 at one edge. A spring 8'6 encircles pin 16 and rests on ledge 18, and is in engagement with bottom 88 of plug 82, being retained by 'flange 84. In the structures here shown, mucilage, which may have come between plug and ledge during the stages of ejecting mucilagefrom the bottle and of spreading the mudlage, will, after the bottle is returned to its normal position, flow back into therbottleofiled'ge18and from the'recesses: in the bottoms zof'thezplugs so that further operation f :these parts may ensue without hindrance "from the dried out solids of accumulated :mucilage. Also, as mucilage, :which has remained on 'face 26 after the application to a surface, dries'out, it willmot tend'toremain'adhered to that face,'butwill separate in" flakes from the surface, leaving the surfaceisub'stantially at all times clean and ready for use inimaking a clean 'application'to'a surface. 1 Many *other changes could be effected "in "th particular apparatus designed, and in the method of operation 'set forth, andin specific details thereof Without'substantially departing from the g inventiondefine'd in the 'claims', the specific description being merely of operative embodiments capable of illustrating certain principles of the invention.

What is claimed as'new-and useful is: 1. --A dispensing spreader for fluid, the-spreader "comprising'a body havingan end wall an'd'a side a wall forming a cavity 'therewithinj the end wall having an opening therethrough immediatelyadjacent the-side wall toprovide a passage forfluid, flowcontrolling .means 'cooperating with and "movable into andout'ofTfiow-cut-ofi positionwith relation 'to' the opening, and means" between the flow-controlling means and the body to'gui'de' the flow-controlling means in its movements: with relation totheopening," the guiding means-beingarranged "to provide drainage "for Ifluid away "from "the operating partsof'the flow=contro1ling means the reciprocating means in its movements with relation to the opening, the guiding means being arranged to 'providadrainagei'for fluid away from the operating parts of thereciprocating'means "and the guiding "means when'zithel dispensing spreader is normally inoperative.

3. Adispensin'g'spreader for flu'idjthe' spr'eader having an opening therethrough immediately adjacent the side wall to provide a passage for fluid, and a plug cooperating with and movable into and out of flow-cut-ofi position with relation to the opening, the plug being supported and having a surface bearing against the side Wall within the cavity and being guided thereby in its movements with relation to the opening, the plug and the support therefor being arranged to provide drainage for fluid away from the plug and the support therefor when the dispensing spreader is normally inoperative.

4. A dispensing spreader for fluid, the spreader comprising a body having an end wall and a side wall forming a cavity therewithin, the end wall having an opening therethrough immediately adjacent the side wall to provide a passage for fluid, and a plug cooperating with and movable into and out of flow-cut-off position with relation to the opening, the plug being supported and having a surface bearing against the side wall within the cavity and being guided thereby in its movements with relation to the opening.

5. A dispensing spreader for fluid, the spreader comprising a body having an end wall and a side wall forming a cavity therewithin, the end wall having a pair of substantially planar faces, the faces being angularly disposed with relation to each other to define substantially an obtuse angle therebetween, one of the faces having an opening therethrough to provide a passage for fluid, the opening being located adjacent an edge of that face removed from the other faces, flow-controlling means cooperating with and movable into and out of flow-cut-oil" position with relation to the opening, and means between the flow-controlling means and the body to guide the flowcontrolling means in its movements with relation to the opening, the guiding means being arranged to provide drainage for fluid away from the operating parts of the flow-controlling means and the guiding means when the dispensing spreader is normally inoperative.

6. A dispensing spreader for fluid, the spreader comprising a body having an end Wall and a side wall forming a cavity therewithin, the end Wall having a pair of substantially planar faces, the faces being angularly disposed with relation to each other to define substantially an obtuse angle therebetween, one of the faces having an opening therethrough to provide a passage for fluid, the opening being located adjacent an edge of that face removed from the other face, and flow-controlling means cooperating with and movable into and out of flow-cut-ofi position with relation to the opening, the spreader being adapted to be approached to a surface upon which the fluid is to be spread to engage the flow-controlling means and cause flow of fluid onto the surface, the planes of the faces, when the flow-controlling means is so engaged, being both disposed at substantially acute angles to the surface, but the face having the opening therein being at an angle less than the angle of the other face, the flow-controlling means being located substantially at the apex of the angle formed by the plane of its face and the surface.

7. A dispensing spreader for fluid, the spreader comprising a body having an end wall and a. side wall forming a cavity therewithin, the end wall having a pair of substantially planar faces, the faces being angularly disposed with relation to each other to define substantially an obtuse angle therebetween, one of the faces meeting the side wall to form substantially an acute angle and having an opening therethrough substantially at the apex of the angle to provide a passage for fluid,

a shoulder on the side wall within the cavity, a

plunger having a portion thereof positioned'within the cavity and a head thereof extending through the opening, the portion within the cavity having a section larger in cross-section thanthe opening, the plunger being supported against the side wall within the cavity and being guided thereby, the spreader being adapted to be approached to a surface upon which the fluid is to be spread to engage the flow-controlling means and cause flow of fluid onto the surface, the planes of the faces, when the flow-controlling means is so engaged, being both disposed at substantially acute angles to the surface, but the face having the opening therein being at an angle less than the angle of the other face, and means between the plunger and the shoulder to guide the plunger in its movements with relation to the opening, the

plunger and the shoulder being arranged to provide drainage for fluid away from the plunger and the shoulder when the dispensing spreader is normally inoperative.

8. A dispensing spreader for fluid, the spreader comprising a body having an end wall and a side wall forming a cavity therewithin, the end wall having a pair of substantially planar faces, the faces being angularly disposed with relation to each other to define substantially an obtuse angle therebetween, one of the faces meeting the side wall to form substantially an acute angle and having an opening therethrough substantially at the apex of the angle to provide a passage for fluid, a, shoulder on the side wall within the cavity, a plunger having a portion thereof positioned within the cavity and a head thereof extending through the opening, the portion within the cavity having a section larger in cross-section than theopening, the plunger being supported against the side wall within the cavity and being guided thereby and having a recess formed therein, the spreader being adapted to be approached to a surface upon which the fluid is to be spread to engage the flow-controlling means and cause flow of fluid onto the surface, the planes of the faces,

when the flow-controlling means is so engaged,

being both disposed at substantially acute angles to the surface, but the face having the opening therein being at an angle less than the angle of the other face, means between the plunger and the shoulder to guide the plunger in its movements with relation to the opening, and resilient means retained between the shoulder and the recess in the plunger, th plunger and the shoulder being arranged to provide drainage for fluid away from the plunger and the resilient means when the dispensing spreader, is normally inoperative. g

9. A dispensing spreader for a fluid receptacle comprising a hollow body formed to be fitted upon the mouth of a receptacle, the outside contour of the body including an applicator face, the body having an opening therethrough to provide a passage for fluid from the receptacle to the applicator face, a plug cooperating with the opening, the plug extending through and being slidable through and guided within the opening, the plug having an enlarged section greater in extent than the extent of the opening, the plug and the body having interfitting means for guiding the plug in its movement, and means cooperating with the interfitting means to project the plug for bring-- ing the enlarged section into engagement with an-Bee :;theibody/:atz,the opening to'i seal-"the opening e-against passage ofvfiuidto then-face. V g i .,-.10. 1A dispensing-spreaderifor a fiuidreceptacle comprising .;a .hollow body jormed v.to be fitted upon the mouth ;of:a receptacle, lthetoutside. contourrof *the body including (an applicator face, the

- body havingan opening therethrough to provide a passage for: fluid from the receptacle to ,the apo'plicator'face,.-a plug cooperating with the open- 7 ing, the plug .extending through and being slida able ,through and'guided within the opening, the

plug having an enlarged section greater-in extent than the extent of the opening, the ;p1ug.having a. recess therein, a pin withinthe ..hollow of the :bodysand Cextending into the .recess for guiding I Ttheplug.invitsrmovement,and means cooperating with the ,piniand the recess :to projectthe plug 8 .i-for bringing the enlarged :section into engage :ment with the body .atvthe opening tol-sealwthe opening against passage ofqfluid to ,thegtace.

AUG. MAZZARELLL Number Name Date 586,049 Littlefield July :6, .1897 1,340,028 Erwin. t May 11, 1920 15 =1,857-,467 vMarsh ,May10,i,1932 

